Our shallow zoa and paly dominated tank!

[Graffiti Spot]

Figured I would share our tank with you guys since the other forum doesn't have much going on at all. You may have seen me on other boards as Piper27, I made this name for fun and because I am tired of our old one...

Well anyways, this is just one of the tanks connected to this system. The other three are 40 breeders, one for sps, one for lps, and one for a refuge which both drain to before hitting the sump, which is also a 40 breeder. This tank is a custom built tank that's 3' × 2' × 12" high. Its acrylic which I hate but was easy to drill. There are 9 holes in it for the closed loop and drains and such. Currently I need to upgrade the little 1250gph little giant closed loop pump to something at least around 2000gph because there isn't enough flow in there and with the mass broadcast feedings we do daily, bubbles get everywhere. Along with that and bad bubble algae thoes are the only negatives so far. We have grown basically every single colony from small frags or single polyp frags.
The only time we cut colonies is when they become to big or overgrown. We desperately need to set up a large tank. We had a 210 mixed reef but had to break it down last year. It became sps dominated which is how this tank evolved, I bought it for my girl to house her corals in. With her coral eye she brings home stuff often which is how we ended up with three tanks on this system. I love sps but the way she made this tank look has turned my eye to polyps as well!
Here is a front tank shot for now.

How do I post a pic on here with tapatalk where it just shows the image without making it an attachment? When I figure that out I will post more pics, I hate clicking on attachments.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

 

[Graffiti Spot]

 

[Graffiti Spot]

 

[kv69]

Fuego Fuego

 

[tinctorus]

That's a fantastic looming tank my friend
I love zoas bur never have any real luck with them as far as getting them to really grow and prosper
They usually stay the same size for awhile and then slowly begin to face away even though the rest of my corals all flourish and grow like crazy
What are you adding to the tank to feed them I dose my talks with b ionic 2 part and vinegar for a carbon source daily and everything but zoas do great
The only real success I've had worth any polyps is my cinnamon polyps that have grown from 2 polyps to 15 polyps in 6 months

 

[Graffiti Spot]

We feed about 6 cubes of random frozen foods daily along with dry foods when we have time throughout the day. She likes to use self in and amino supplements soaked in the food and sometimes vitamin c. I recently started using papone too. We used to feed oysterfeast or coral snow but I am switching that for the papone. We are using dosing pumps for mag, calcium, and alk right now but I like calcium reactor and kalk better. We don't dose carbon sources. Just lots of live rock, refugium, and a 5' mazzie air injection skimmer which is recirculating now. We started with a ro needle wheel but the difference between the two is not measurable. I won't use a needle wheel ever again.

 

[Tenor]

Very nice coral collection. Thanks for sharing

 

[TruRacr314x]

Awesome tank.....

 

[brandon85]

beautiful set up, keep the awesome pics coming!

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I made this skimmer with a life reef 4' body and a skimz 181 body and put the lifereef collection cup on top of the skimz, that way the bubbles don't have to transfer from 6" to 3" chambers. This thing out performed the reef octopus 10 times over.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Here is the sump, just rocks and baffles with a korila 8 to keep the bottom clean and maintenance free. I hang carbon and Gfo passivly in bags in the high flow area of the sump. Mag 18 runs the three tanks and a mag 7 supplies the recirculating skimmer.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Thanks tenor, true racer, and Brandon! I am glad other people find it pleasing since we dot ever have guests over that appreciate what it really is.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Sorry, going to throw in a few non zoa pics since the coral are in the zoa tank.

 

[GKorals]

wow very nice collection pedito lol love the fact that most of the zoas you have are colonies and not frags..make it look more natural

 

[spspirate]

Beautiful zoa reef!!

 

[Graffiti Spot]

wow very nice collection pedito lol love the fact that most of the zoas you have are colonies and not frags..make it look more natural

Thank you! She is quite persistent about growing them so they do turn out beautiful.
We will be moving down to south Florida next year I think and I am dreading moving both our collections down there, but can't wait to be near the beach! We feel so much more at home down there for sure.

 

[Graffiti Spot]

Beautiful zoa reef!!

Thanks man! I used to go down to Richmond for the meets, they are so layed back down there and everyone is humble. Also there was one every month! Complete opposite of the meets here in the dmv!
I think I have seen some of your pics and remember them being quite nice, got a build thread or anything?

 

[spspirate]

Yes very laid back here. The comradery around here is great! We love to have you stop by again for a meet when ever your in town. Yup got a build thread at the moment here you go. https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/member-tanks/155148-spspirates-150-gallon-build.html if your ever in town again hit me up.